Programming error correction code into a solid state memory device with varying bits per cell

ABSTRACT

Memory devices that, in a particular embodiment, receive and transmit analog data signals representative of bit patterns of two or more bits such as to facilitate increases in data transfer rates relative to devices communicating data signals indicative of individual bits. Programming error correction code (ECC) and metadata into such memory devices includes storing the ECC and metadata at different bit levels per cell based on an actual error rate of the cells. The ECC and metadata can be stored with the data block at a different bit level than the data block. If the area of memory in which the block of data is stored does not support the desired reliability for the ECC and metadata at a particular bit level, the ECC and metadata can be stored in other areas of the memory array at different bit levels.

RELATED APPLICATION

This is a Continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/345,896 titled“PROGRAMMING ERROR CORRECTION CODE INTO A SOLID STATE MEMORY DEVICE WITHVARYING BITS PER CELL,” filed Jan. 9, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,291,271,which is a Divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/195,977, filedAug. 2, 2011, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,103,940, which is a Continuation ofU.S. application Ser. No. 11/761,608 filed Jun. 12, 2007, now U.S. Pat.No. 8,006,166, which are commonly assigned and incorporated herein byreference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to semiconductor memory and, ina particular embodiment, the present disclosure relates to solid statenon-volatile memory devices.

BACKGROUND

Electronic devices commonly have some type of bulk storage deviceavailable to them. A common example is a hard disk drive (HDD). HDDs arecapable of large amounts of storage at relatively low cost, with currentconsumer HDDs available with over one terabyte of capacity.

HDDs generally store data on rotating magnetic media or platters. Datais typically stored as a pattern of magnetic flux reversals on theplatters. To write data to a typical HDD, the platter is rotated at highspeed while a write head floating above the platter generates a seriesof magnetic pulses to align magnetic particles on the platter torepresent the data. To read data from a typical HDD, resistance changesare induced in a magnetoresistive read head as it floats above theplatter rotated at high speed. In practice, the resulting data signal isan analog signal whose peaks and valleys are the result of the magneticflux reversals of the data pattern. Digital signal processing techniquescalled partial response maximum likelihood (PRML) are then used tosample the analog data signal to determine the likely data patternresponsible for generating the data signal.

HDDs have certain drawbacks due to their mechanical nature. HDDs aresusceptible to damage or excessive read/write errors due to shock,vibration or strong magnetic fields. In addition, they are relativelylarge users of power in portable electronic devices.

Another example of a bulk storage device is a solid state drive (SSD).Instead of storing data on rotating media, SSDs utilize semiconductormemory devices to store their data, but include an interface and formfactor making them appear to their host system as if they are a typicalHDD. The memory devices of SSDs are typically non-volatile flash memorydevices.

Flash memory devices have developed into a popular source ofnon-volatile memory for a wide range of electronic applications. Flashmemory devices typically use a one-transistor memory cell that allowsfor high memory densities, high reliability, and low power consumption.Changes in threshold voltage of the cells, through programming of chargestorage or trapping layers or other physical phenomena, determine thedata value of each cell. Common uses for flash memory and othernon-volatile memory include personal computers, personal digitalassistants (PDAs), digital cameras, digital media players, digitalrecorders, games, appliances, vehicles, wireless devices, cellulartelephones, and removable memory modules, and the uses for non-volatilememory continue to expand.

Unlike HDDs, the operation of SSDs is generally not subject tovibration, shock or magnetic field concerns due to their solid statenature. Similarly, without moving parts, SSDs have lower powerrequirements than HDDs. However, SSDs currently have much lower storagecapacities compared to HDDs of the same form factor and a significantlyhigher cost per bit.

For the reasons stated above, and for other reasons which will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding thepresent specification, there is a need in the art for alternative bulkstorage options.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram of a memory device according to anembodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a schematic of a portion of an example NAND memory array asmight be found in the memory device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a block schematic of a solid state bulk storage system inaccordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a depiction of a wave form showing conceptually a data signalas might be received from the memory device by a read/write channel inaccordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a block schematic of an electronic system in accordance withan embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of one embodiment of a method for calibrating acontroller circuit to reliability characteristics of a specific memorydevice.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a sub-portion of a memoryarray in accordance with the method of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of one embodiment of a method for programmingerror correction code into a memory device by varying the bit level percell in response to an actual error rate.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description of the present embodiments,reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof,and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments inwhich the embodiments may be practiced. These embodiments are describedin sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice theinvention, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may beutilized and that process, electrical or mechanical changes may be madewithout departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Thefollowing detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in alimiting sense.

Traditional solid-state memory devices pass data in the form of binarysignals. Typically, a ground potential represents a first logic level ofa bit of data, e.g., a ‘0’ data value, while a supply potentialrepresents a second logic level of a bit of data, e.g., a ‘1’ datavalue. A multi-level cell (MLC) may be assigned, for example, fourdifferent threshold voltage (V_(t)) ranges of 200 mV for each range,with each range corresponding to a distinct data state, therebyrepresenting four data values or bit patterns. Typically, a dead spaceor margin of 0.2V to 0.4V is between each range to keep the V_(t)distributions from overlapping. If the V_(t) of the cell is within thefirst range, the cell may be deemed to store a logical 11 state and istypically considered the erased state of the cell. If the V_(t) iswithin the second range, the cell may be deemed to store a logical 10state. If the V_(t) is within the third range, the cell may be deemed tostore a logical 00 state. And if the V_(t) is within the fourth range,the cell may be deemed to store a logical 01 state.

When programming a traditional MLC device as described above, cells aregenerally first erased, as a block, to correspond to the erased state.Following erasure of a block of cells, the least-significant bit (LSB)of each cell is first programmed, if necessary. For example, if the LSBis a 1, then no programming is necessary, but if the LSB is a 0, thenthe V_(t) of the target memory cell is moved from the V_(t) rangecorresponding to the 11 logic state to the V_(t) range corresponding tothe 10 logic state. Following programming of the LSBs, themost-significant bit (MSB) of each cell is programmed in a similarmanner, shifting the V_(t) where necessary. When reading an MLC of atraditional memory device, one or more read operations determinegenerally into which of the ranges the V_(t) of the cell voltage falls.For example, a first read operation may determine whether the V_(t) ofthe target memory cell is indicative of the MSB being a 1 or a 0 while asecond read operation may determine whether the V_(t) of the targetmemory cell in indicative of the LSB being a 1 or a 0. In each case,however, a single bit is returned from a read operation of a targetmemory cell, regardless of how many bits are stored on each cell. Thisproblem of multiple program and read operations becomes increasinglytroublesome as more bits are stored on each MLC. Because each suchprogram or read operation is a binary operation, i.e., each programs orreturns a single bit of information per cell, storing more bits on eachMLC leads to longer operation times.

The memory devices of an illustrative embodiment store data as V_(t)ranges on the memory cells. In contrast to traditional memory devices,however, program and read operations are capable of utilizing datasignals not as discrete bits of MLC data values, but as fullrepresentations of MLC data values, such as their complete bit patterns.For example, in a two-bit MLC device, instead of programming a cell'sLSB and subsequently programming that cell's MSB, a target thresholdvoltage may be programmed representing the bit pattern of those twobits. That is, a series of program and verify operations would beapplied to a memory cell until that memory cell obtained its targetthreshold voltage rather than programming to a first threshold voltagefor a first bit, shifting to a second threshold voltage for a secondbit, etc. Similarly, instead of utilizing multiple read operations todetermine each bit stored on a cell, the threshold voltage of the cellmay be determined and passed as a single signal representing thecomplete data value or bit pattern of the cell. The memory devices ofthe various embodiments do not merely look to whether a memory cell hasa threshold voltage above or below some nominal threshold voltage as isdone in traditional memory devices. Instead, a voltage signal isgenerated that is representative of the actual threshold voltage of thatmemory cell across the continuum of possible threshold voltages. Anadvantage of this approach becomes more significant as the bits per cellcount is increased. For example, if the memory cell were to store eightbits of information, a single read operation would return a singleanalog data signal representative of eight bits of information.

FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram of a memory device 101 according toan embodiment of the disclosure. Memory device 101 includes an array ofmemory cells 104 arranged in rows and columns. Although the variousembodiments will be described primarily with reference to NAND memoryarrays, the various embodiments are not limited to a specificarchitecture of the memory array 104. Some examples of other arrayarchitectures suitable for the present embodiments include NOR arrays,AND arrays, and virtual ground arrays. In general, however, theembodiments described herein are adaptable to any array architecturepermitting generation of a data signal indicative of the thresholdvoltage of each memory cell.

A row decode circuitry 108 and a column decode circuitry 110 areprovided to decode address signals provided to the memory device 101.Address signals are received and decoded to access memory array 104.Memory device 101 also includes input/output (I/O) control circuitry 112to manage input of commands, addresses and data to the memory device 101as well as output of data and status information from the memory device101. An address register 114 is coupled between I/O control circuitry112 and row decode circuitry 108 and column decode circuitry 110 tolatch the address signals prior to decoding. A command register 124 iscoupled between I/O control circuitry 112 and control logic 116 to latchincoming commands. Control logic 116 controls access to the memory array104 in response to the commands and generates status information for theexternal processor 130. The control logic 116 is coupled to row decodecircuitry 108 and column decode circuitry 110 to control the row decodecircuitry 108 and column decode circuitry 110 in response to theaddresses.

Control logic 116 is also coupled to a sample and hold circuitry 118.The sample and hold circuitry 118 latches data, either incoming oroutgoing, in the form of analog voltage levels. For example, the sampleand hold circuitry could contain capacitors or other analog storagedevices for sampling either an incoming voltage signal representing datato be written to a memory cell or an outgoing voltage signal indicativeof the threshold voltage sensed from a memory cell. The sample and holdcircuitry 118 may further provide for amplification and/or buffering ofthe sampled voltage to provide a stronger data signal to an externaldevice.

The handling of analog voltage signals may take an approach similar toan approach well known in the area of CMOS imager technology, wherecharge levels generated at pixels of the imager in response to incidentillumination are stored on capacitors. These charge levels are thenconverted to voltage signals using a differential amplifier with areference capacitor as a second input to the differential amplifier. Theoutput of the differential amplifier is then passed to analog-to-digitalconversion (ADC) devices to obtain a digital value representative of anintensity of the illumination. In the present embodiments, a charge maybe stored on a capacitor in response to subjecting it to a voltage levelindicative of an actual or target threshold voltage of a memory cell forreading or programming, respectively, the memory cell. This charge couldthen be converted to an analog voltage using a differential amplifierhaving a grounded input or other reference signal as a second input. Theoutput of the differential amplifier could then be passed to the I/Ocontrol circuitry 112 for output from the memory device, in the case ofa read operation, or used for comparison during one or more verifyoperations in programming the memory device. It is noted that the I/Ocontrol circuitry 112 could optionally include analog-to-digitalconversion functionality and digital-to-analog conversion (DAC)functionality to convert read data from an analog signal to a digitalbit pattern and to convert write data from a digital bit pattern to ananalog signal such that the memory device 101 could be adapted forcommunication with either an analog or digital data interface.

During a write operation, target memory cells of the memory array 104are programmed until voltages indicative of their V_(t) levels match thelevels held in the sample and hold circuitry 118. This can beaccomplished, as one example, using differential sensing devices tocompare the held voltage level to a threshold voltage of the targetmemory cell. Much like traditional memory programming, programmingpulses could be applied to a target memory cell to increase itsthreshold voltage until reaching or exceeding the desired value. In aread operation, the V_(t) levels of the target memory cells are passedto the sample and hold circuitry 118 for transfer to an externalprocessor (not shown in FIG. 1) either directly as analog signals or asdigitized representations of the analog signals depending upon whetherADC/DAC functionality is provided external to, or within, the memorydevice.

Threshold voltages of cells may be determined in a variety of manners.For example, a word line voltage could be sampled at the point when thetarget memory cell becomes activated. Alternatively, a boosted voltagecould be applied to a first source/drain side of a target memory cell,and the threshold voltage could be taken as a difference between itscontrol gate voltage and the voltage at its other source/drain side. Bycoupling the voltage to a capacitor, charge would be shared with thecapacitor to store the sampled voltage. Note that the sampled voltageneed not be equal to the threshold voltage, but merely indicative ofthat voltage. For example, in the case of applying a boosted voltage toa first source/drain side of the memory cell and a known voltage to itscontrol gate, the voltage developed at the second source/drain side ofthe memory cell could be taken as the data signal as the developedvoltage is indicative of the threshold voltage of the memory cell.

Sample and hold circuitry 118 may include caching, i.e., multiplestorage locations for each data value, such that the memory device 101may be reading a next data value while passing a first data value to theexternal processor, or receiving a next data value while writing a firstdata value to the memory array 104. A status register 122 is coupledbetween I/O control circuitry 112 and control logic 116 to latch thestatus information for output to the external processor.

Memory device 101 receives control signals at control logic 116 over acontrol link 132. The control signals may include a chip enable CE#, acommand latch enable CLE, an address latch enable ALE, and a writeenable WE#. Memory device 101 may receive commands (in the form ofcommand signals), addresses (in the form of address signals), and data(in the form of data signals) from an external processor over amultiplexed input/output (I/O) bus 134 and output data to the externalprocessor over I/O bus 134.

In a specific example, commands are received over input/output (I/O)pins [7:0] of I/O bus 134 at I/O control circuitry 112 and are writteninto command register 124. The addresses are received over input/output(I/O) pins [7:0] of bus 134 at I/O control circuitry 112 and are writteninto address register 114. The data may be received over input/output(I/O) pins [7:0] for a device capable of receiving eight parallelsignals, or input/output (I/O) pins [15:0] for a device capable ofreceiving sixteen parallel signals, at I/O control circuitry 112 and aretransferred to sample and hold circuitry 118. Data also may be outputover input/output (I/O) pins [7:0] for a device capable of transmittingeight parallel signals or input/output (I/O) pins [15:0] for a devicecapable of transmitting sixteen parallel signals. It will be appreciatedby those skilled in the art that additional circuitry and signals can beprovided, and that the memory device of FIG. 1 has been simplified tohelp focus on the embodiments of the disclosure. Additionally, while thememory device of FIG. 1 has been described in accordance with popularconventions for receipt and output of the various signals, it is notedthat the various embodiments are not limited by the specific signals andI/O configurations described unless expressly noted herein. For example,command and address signals could be received at inputs separate fromthose receiving the data signals, or data signals could be transmittedserially over a single I/O line of I/O bus 134. Because the data signalsrepresent bit patterns instead of individual bits, serial communicationof an 8-bit data signal could be as efficient as parallel communicationof eight signals representing individual bits.

FIG. 2 is a schematic of a portion of an example NAND memory array 200as might be found in the memory array 104 of FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 2,the memory array 200 includes word lines 202 ₁ to 202 _(N) andintersecting bit lines 204 ₁ to 204 _(M). For ease of addressing in thedigital environment, the number of word lines 202 and the number of bitlines 204 are generally each some power of two.

Memory array 200 includes NAND strings 206 ₁ to 206 _(M). Each NANDstring includes transistors 208 ₁ to 208 _(N), each located at anintersection of a word line 202 and a bit line 204. The transistors 208,depicted as floating-gate transistors in FIG. 2, represent non-volatilememory cells for storage of data. The floating-gate transistors 208 ofeach NAND string 206 are connected in series source to drain between oneor more source select gates 210, e.g., a field-effect transistor (FET),and one or more drain select gates 212, e.g., an FET. Each source selectgate 210 is located at an intersection of a local bit line 204 and asource select line 214, while each drain select gate 212 is located atan intersection of a local bit line 204 and a drain select line 215.

A source of each source select gate 210 is connected to a common sourceline 216. The drain of each source select gate 210 is connected to thesource of the first floating-gate transistor 208 of the correspondingNAND string 206. For example, the drain of source select gate 210 ₁ isconnected to the source of floating-gate transistor 2081 of thecorresponding NAND string 206 ₁. A control gate of each source selectgate 210 is connected to source select line 214. If multiple sourceselect gates 210 are utilized for a given NAND string 206, they would becoupled in series between the common source line 216 and the firstfloating-gate transistor 208 of that NAND string 206.

The drain of each drain select gate 212 is connected to a local bit line204 for the corresponding NAND string at a drain contact. For example,the drain of drain select gate 212 ₁ is connected to the local bit line204 ₁ for the corresponding NAND string 206 ₁ at a drain contact. Thesource of each drain select gate 212 is connected to the drain of thelast floating-gate transistor 208 of the corresponding NAND string 206.For example, the source of drain select gate 212 ₁ is connected to thedrain of floating-gate transistor 208 _(N) of the corresponding NANDstring 206 ₁. If multiple drain select gates 212 are utilized for agiven NAND string 206, they would be coupled in series between thecorresponding bit line 204 and the last floating-gate transistor 208_(N) of that NAND string 206.

Typical construction of floating-gate transistors 208 includes a source230 and a drain 232, a floating gate 234, and a control gate 236, asshown in FIG. 2. Floating-gate transistors 208 have their control gates236 coupled to a word line 202. A column of the floating-gatetransistors 208 are those NAND strings 206 coupled to a given local bitline 204. A row of the floating-gate transistors 208 are thosetransistors commonly coupled to a given word line 202. Other forms oftransistors 208 may also be utilized with embodiments of the disclosure,such as NROM, magnetic or ferroelectric transistors and othertransistors capable of being programmed to assume one of two or morethreshold voltage ranges.

Memory devices of the various embodiments may be advantageously used inbulk storage devices. For various embodiments, these bulk storagedevices may take on the same form factor and communication bus interfaceof traditional HDDs, thus allowing them to replace such drives in avariety of applications. Some common form factors for HDDs include the3.5″, 2.5″ and PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card InternationalAssociation) form factors commonly used with current personal computersand larger digital media recorders, as well as 1.8″ and 1″ form factorscommonly used in smaller personal appliances, such as mobile telephones,personal digital assistants (PDAs) and digital media players. Somecommon bus interfaces include universal serial bus (USB), AT attachmentinterface (ATA) [also known as integrated drive electronics or IDE],serial ATA (SATA), small computer systems interface (SCSI) and theInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1394 standard.While a variety of form factors and communication interfaces werelisted, the embodiments are not limited to a specific form factor orcommunication standard. Furthermore, the embodiments need not conform toa HDD form factor or communication interface. FIG. 3 is a blockschematic of a solid state bulk storage device 300 in accordance withone embodiment of the present disclosure.

The bulk storage device 300 includes a memory device 301 in accordancewith an embodiment of the disclosure, a read/write channel 305 and acontroller 310. The read/write channel 305 provides foranalog-to-digital conversion of data signals received from the memorydevice 301 as well as digital-to-analog conversion of data signalsreceived from the controller 310. The controller 310 provides forcommunication between the bulk storage device 300 and an externalprocessor (not shown in FIG. 3) through bus interface 315. It is notedthat the read/write channel 305 could service one or more additionalmemory devices, as depicted by memory device 301′ in dashed lines.Selection of a single memory device 301 for communication can be handledthrough a multi-bit chip enable signal or other multiplexing scheme.

The memory device 301 is coupled to a read/write channel 305 through ananalog interface 320 and a digital interface 325. The analog interface320 provides for the passage of analog data signals between the memorydevice 301 and the read/write channel 305 while the digital interface325 provides for the passage of control signals, command signals andaddress signals from the read/write channel 305 to the memory device301. The digital interface 325 may further provide for the passage ofstatus signals from the memory device 301 to the read/write channel 305.The analog interface 320 and the digital interface 325 may share signallines as noted with respect to the memory device 101 of FIG. 1. Althoughthe embodiment of FIG. 3 depicts a dual analog/digital interface to thememory device, functionality of the read/write channel 305 couldoptionally be incorporated into the memory device 301 as discussed withrespect to FIG. 1 such that the memory device 301 communicates directlywith the controller 310 using only a digital interface for passage ofcontrol signals, command signals, status signals, address signals anddata signals.

The read/write channel 305 is coupled to the controller 310 through oneor more interfaces, such as a data interface 330 and a control interface335. The data interface 330 provides for the passage of digital datasignals between the read/write channel 305 and the controller 310. Thecontrol interface 335 provides for the passage of control signals,command signals and address signals from the controller 310 to theread/write channel 305. The control interface 335 may further providefor the passage of status signals from the read/write channel 305 to thecontroller 310. Status and command/control signals may also be passeddirectly between the controller 310 and the memory device 301 asdepicted by the dashed line connecting the control interface 335 to thedigital interface 325.

Although depicted as two distinct devices in FIG. 3, the functionalityof the read/write channel 305 and the controller 310 could alternativelybe performed by a single integrated circuit device. And whilemaintaining the memory device 301 as a separate device would providemore flexibility in adapting the embodiments to different form factorsand communication interfaces, because it is also an integrated circuitdevice, the entire bulk storage device 300 could be fabricated as asingle integrated circuit device.

The read/write channel 305 is a signal processor adapted to at leastprovide for conversion of a digital data stream to an analog data streamand vice versa. A digital data stream provides data signals in the formof binary voltage levels, i.e., a first voltage level indicative of abit having a first binary data value, e.g., 0, and a second voltagelevel indicative of a bit having a second binary data value, e.g., 1. Ananalog data stream provides data signals in the form of analog voltageshaving more than two levels, with different voltage levels or rangescorresponding to different bit patterns of two or more bits. Forexample, in a system adapted to store two bits per memory cell, a firstvoltage level or range of voltage levels of an analog data stream couldcorrespond to a bit pattern of 11, a second voltage level or range ofvoltage levels of an analog data stream could correspond to a bitpattern of 10, a third voltage level or range of voltage levels of ananalog data stream could correspond to a bit pattern of 00 and a fourthvoltage level or range of voltage levels of an analog data stream couldcorrespond to a bit pattern of 01. Thus, one analog data signal inaccordance with the various embodiments would be converted to two ormore digital data signals, and vice versa.

In practice, control and command signals are received at the businterface 315 for access of the memory device 301 through the controller310. Addresses and data values may also be received at the bus interface315 depending upon what type of access is desired, e.g., write, read,format, etc. In a shared bus system, the bus interface 315 would becoupled to a bus along with a variety of other devices. To directcommunications to a specific device, an identification value may beplaced on the bus indicating which device on the bus is to act upon asubsequent command. If the identification value matches the value takenon by the bulk storage device 300, the controller 310 would then acceptthe subsequent command at the bus interface 315. If the identificationvalue did not match, the controller 310 would ignore the subsequentcommunication. Similarly, to avoid collisions on the bus, the variousdevices on a shared bus may instruct other devices to cease outboundcommunication while they individually take control of the bus. Protocolsfor bus sharing and collision avoidance are well known and will not bedetailed herein. The controller 310 then passes the command, address anddata signals on to the read/write channel 305 for processing. Note thatthe command, address and data signals passed from the controller 310 tothe read/write channel 305 need not be the same signals received at thebus interface 315. For example, the communication standard for the businterface 315 may differ from the communication standard of theread/write channel 305 or the memory device 301. In this situation, thecontroller 310 may translate the commands and/or addressing scheme priorto accessing the memory device 301. In addition, the controller 310 mayprovide for load leveling within the one or more memory devices 301,such that physical addresses of the memory devices 301 may change overtime for a given logical address. Thus, the controller 310 would map thelogical address from the external device to a physical address of atarget memory device 301.

For write requests, in addition to the command and address signals, thecontroller 310 would pass digital data signals to the read/write channel305. For example, for a 16-bit data word, the controller 310 would pass16 individual signals having a first or second binary logic level. Theread/write channel 305 would then convert the digital data signals to ananalog data signal representative of the bit pattern of the digital datasignals. To continue with the foregoing example, the read/write channel305 would use a digital-to-analog conversion to convert the 16individual digital data signals to a single analog signal having apotential level indicative of the desired 16-bit data pattern. For oneembodiment, the analog data signal representative of the bit pattern ofthe digital data signals is indicative of a desired threshold voltage ofthe target memory cell. However, in programming of a one-transistormemory cells, it is often the case that programming of neighboringmemory cells will increase the threshold voltage of previouslyprogrammed memory cells. Thus, for another embodiment, the read/writechannel 305 can take into account these types of expected changes in thethreshold voltage, and adjust the analog data signal to be indicative ofa threshold voltage lower than the final desired threshold voltage.After conversion of the digital data signals from the controller 310,the read/write channel 305 would then pass the write command and addresssignals to the memory device 301 along with the analog data signals foruse in programming the individual memory cells. Programming can occur ona cell-by-cell basis, but is generally performed for a page of data peroperation. For a typical memory array architecture, a page of dataincludes every other memory cell coupled to a word line.

For read requests, the controller would pass command and address signalsto the read/write channel 305. The read/write channel 305 would pass theread command and address signals to the memory device 301. In response,after performing the read operation, the memory device 301 would returnthe analog data signals indicative of the threshold voltages of thememory cells defined by the address signals and the read command. Thememory device 301 may transfer its analog data signals in parallel orserial fashion.

The analog data signals may also be transferred not as discrete voltagepulses, but as a substantially continuous stream of analog signals. Inthis situation, the read/write channel 305 may employ signal processingsimilar to that used in HDD accessing called PRML or partial response,maximum likelihood. In PRML processing of a traditional HDD, the readhead of the HDD outputs a stream of analog signals representative offlux reversals encountered during a read operation of the HDD platter.Rather than attempting to capture the true peaks and valleys of thisanalog signal generated in response to flux reversals encountered by theread head, the signal is periodically sampled to create a digitalrepresentation of the signal pattern. This digital representation canthen be analyzed to determine the likely pattern of flux reversalsresponsible for generation of the analog signal pattern. This same typeof processing can be utilized with embodiments of the presentdisclosure. By sampling the analog signal from the memory device 301,PRML processing can be employed to determine the likely pattern ofthreshold voltages responsible for generation of the analog signal.

FIG. 4 is a depiction of a wave form showing conceptually a data signal450 as might be received from the memory device 301 by the read/writechannel 305 in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure. The datasignal 450 could be periodically sampled and a digital representation ofthe data signal 450 can be created from the amplitudes of the sampledvoltage levels. For one embodiment, the sampling could be synchronizedto the data output such that sampling occurs during the steady-stateportions of the data signal 450. Such an embodiment is depicted by thesampling as indicated by the dashed lines at times t1, t2, t3 and t4.However, if synchronized sampling becomes misaligned, values of the datasamples may be significantly different than the steady-state values. Inan alternate embodiment, sampling rates could be increased to allowdetermination of where steady-state values likely occurred, such as byobserving slope changes indicated by the data samples. Such anembodiment is depicted by the sampling as indicated by the dashed linesat times t5, t6, t7 and t8, where a slope between data samples at timest6 and t7 may indicate a steady-state condition. In such an embodiment,a trade-off is made between sampling rate and accuracy of therepresentation. Higher sampling rates lead to more accuraterepresentations, but also increase processing time. Regardless ofwhether sampling is synchronized to the data output or more frequentsampling is used, the digital representation can then be used to predictwhat incoming voltage levels were likely responsible for generating theanalog signal pattern. In turn, the likely data values of the individualmemory cells being read can be predicted from this expected pattern ofincoming voltage levels.

Recognizing that errors will occur in the reading of data values fromthe memory device 301, the read/write channel 305 may include errorcorrection. Error correction is commonly used in memory devices, as wellas HDDs, to recover from expected errors. Typically, a memory devicewill store user data in a first set of locations and error correctioncode (ECC) in a second set of locations. During a read operation, boththe user data and the ECC are read in response to a read request of theuser data. Using known algorithms, the user data returned from the readoperation is compared to the ECC. If the errors are within the limits ofthe ECC, the errors will be corrected.

FIG. 5 is a block schematic of an electronic system in accordance withan embodiment of the disclosure. Example electronic systems may includepersonal computers, PDAs, digital cameras, digital media players,digital recorders, electronic games, appliances, vehicles, wirelessdevices, mobile telephones and the like.

The electronic system includes a host processor 500 that may includecache memory 502 to increase the efficiency of the processor 500. Theprocessor 500 is coupled to a communication bus 504. A variety of otherdevices may be coupled to the communication bus 504 under control of theprocessor 500. For example, the electronic system may include randomaccess memory (RAM) 506; one or more input devices 508 such askeyboards, touch pads, pointing devices, etc.; an audio controller 510;a video controller 512; and one or more bulk storage devices 514. Atleast one bulk storage device 514 includes a digital bus interface 515for communication with the bus 504, one or more memory devices inaccordance with an embodiment of the disclosure having an analoginterface for transfer of data signals representative of data patternsof two or more bits of data, and a signal processor adapted to performdigital-to-analog conversion of digital data signals received from thebus interface 515 and analog-to-digital conversion of analog datasignals received from its memory device(s).

Due to slight differences in the composition of each cell during themanufacturing process, the reliability of bit storage and memoryperformance (e.g., programming and erase speed) can vary fromcell-to-cell or block-to-block across the memory array. Additionally,this variation may be different between different integrated circuitdies such that two memory devices do not share the same reliability andperformance characteristics.

The performance and reliability of a state being stored can be differentbased on the threshold voltage (corresponding to a programmed state)assigned to the memory cell. For example, some cells may be able to beprogrammed with and retain larger threshold voltages, and therefore morebits/states, than other cells. Similarly for performance, some cells maybe programmed or erased more quickly than other cells.

Reliability issues are more critical in multilevel cells (MLC) ofnon-volatile memories due to the reduced spacing between adjacentprogrammed levels. As more states are capable of being programmed into amemory cell, the threshold distributions must become narrower and closertogether in order to fit in the allowable voltage range. This can resultin an increased number of bit errors due to interference betweenprogrammed states. Thus, some type of on-chip error correction code(ECCs) is typically used in large-capacity non-volatile memories.

MLC NAND non-volatile memories typically use ECC schemes that are fairlycomplex. ECCs commonly used in memory devices include single errorcorrection Hamming codes, symbol based Reed Solomon (RS) codes, andBinary BCH codes. The ECC data is stored in memory along with the blockof data to which the ECC data is assigned. However, since there are nomechanisms for correcting ECC, it is desirable for the ECC data to bestored in a very reliable area of memory. The controller can becalibrated to the reliability of various areas of the memory array andthen change the bit level (e.g., the number of bits per cell) of the ECCdata programmed into those areas based on the calibration data and thedesired level of reliability.

FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart of one embodiment of a method forcalibrating a memory controller to the reliability of areas of a memoryarray. Reference is made to the block diagram of the area of a memorycell array of FIG. 7 while discussing the method of FIG. 6.

The calibration method writes a voltage 601 to the center memory cell701. The voltage is a threshold voltage that represents a programmedstate such as a single bit state or a multiple bit state. As discussedpreviously, the threshold voltage can be generated by the controlcircuit, coupled to and controlling the memory device, as a digitalsignal representative of the desired threshold voltage. A read/writechannel circuit then performs a digital-to-analog conversion on thedigital signal to produce the analog representation of the desiredthreshold voltage.

A bit pattern represented by another analog voltage is written 603 toone or more of the surrounding memory cells 703, 705. The center cell701 is then read 604 to determine the extent to which the writing of thesurrounding voltages has affected the center cell's stored voltage. Thevoltage on these cells 703, 705 is then varied 605, typically increased,and the center cell is read after each change 606 to determine theeffect on the center cell 701. An indication of the reliability of thecenter cell 701 is stored in a table 607 in memory for future reference.The table contains an indication of each tested cell's ability to retainan initially stored value and, therefore, how reliable that cell is atstoring different bit levels. In one embodiment, the indication ofreliability is a logical one at each tested bit level indicating thatthe tested cell is reliable at that particular bit level and a logicalzero indicating that the cell is not reliable at that particular bitlevel.

The quantity and orientation of the programmed cells that surround thecenter cell 701 can vary for different embodiments. The cells adjacentto the center cell 701 and in the word line direction can affect thecenter cell by both capacitive coupling and by program disturb. Sincethe cells 701, 703, 705 all share the same word line, repeated biasingof the word line with different, and especially higher, programmingvoltages will probably affect the threshold voltage of the center cell701 to some extent.

Programming of the cells along the bit line direction 710, 711 willlikely affect the threshold voltage on the center cell 701 by capacitivecoupling. The coupling of the adjacent bit line cells 710, 711 will tendto raise the threshold voltage of the center cell 701 due to thecoupling between the cells 701, 710, 711 as higher voltages areprogrammed on the adjacent cells 710, 711.

The calibration method illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7 is performed onrepresentative cells of different areas of the memory array. The methodcan be performed on random cells of the entire memory array or inspecific areas of the array. For example, the method may be performed onthe corner cells of the array and in the center. In another embodiment,certain areas of each memory block can be checked. In still anotherembodiment, the method can be performed on cells located at periodicintervals within the memory array.

The calibration can be performed once during the manufacturing processand the reliability indications stored in non-volatile memory. Inanother embodiment, the calibration is performed at every power-up ofthe memory device.

Memory devices such as the non-volatile memory devices presentlydisclosed, can use metadata to store information regarding memory cells,pages, or blocks. The memory metadata includes data regardingperformance characteristics of a block of data, the number of times ablock has been erased, as well as other characteristics regarding acell, page of cells, or block of cells.

FIG. 8 illustrates a flowchart of a method for programming errorcorrection code (ECC) and/or metadata into a memory device by varyingthe bit level per cell in response to an actual error rate. The ECC andmetadata can be stored either next to the block of data to which itapplies or anywhere else in memory if, for example, that location hasnot been shown to be reliable enough by the calibration steps previouslydiscussed. Subsequent reference to memory blocks are for purposes ofillustration only. The present methods can apply to other sub-sectionsof a memory array (e.g., page).

Initially, it is determined if the data to be stored is ECC, metadata,or another type of data 800. Since there are no mechanisms to correctECC, it should be stored in an area of higher reliability than othertypes of data that can be corrected through the ECC scheme. Non-ECC datacan be written to a memory block at a higher bit level than ECC 801since errors can be corrected by the ECC mechanism. For example, thehigher bit level can be two or more bits per cell.

The reliability of the memory block is determined 802. This can beaccomplished by using the calibration data such as data stored in atable such as that discussed with respect to FIG. 6. In an alternateembodiment, the memory block can be tested independently at varying bitlevels to determine the ability of that particular area of memory toreliably hold data at different bit levels.

The ECC/metadata for the block of data should be stored in an area ofmemory that is able to store the data without loss or corruption. If thereliability of the memory area containing the block of data isdetermined to be reliable for the ECC/metadata 803 at the memory blockbit level, the data is stored in or substantially near the block of data805 at the memory block bit level (i.e., the number of bits per cell forthe memory block).

If the memory block bit level is not reliable to store ECC/metadata atthe data block's bit level, it is determined if the reliability of thememory block can be increased by decreasing the bit level of the cellsin the memory block 807. This can be determined as described previouslyby accessing the calibration data or, accessing reliability datadetermined in step 801.

If decreasing the bit level of the memory block increases thereliability of the memory block so that it can be used for ECC/metadata,the bit level is decreased for the ECC and it is written to the memoryblock or substantially near the memory block at that bit level 809. Ifdecreasing the bit level does not produce an acceptable ECC reliability807, another area of memory is used to store the ECC for that block ofdata.

The area of memory in which the ECC/metadata is to be stored can bedetermined 811 by the above-described methods. For example, either thecalibration data can be used to determine an appropriately reliable areaof memory for the ECC/metadata or different areas of the memory can beindependently tested at different bit levels to determine theirrespective reliabilities at different bit levels. Once the area ofmemory is found that exhibits the desired reliability level forECC/metadata, the ECC/metadata is written to that area at a bit levelthat corresponds to the desired level of reliability 813.

Once the block of data and accompanying ECC/metadata are written todifferent areas of memory, the two can be linked in some manner so thattheir locations and association can be tracked. For example, the systemcontroller can store the addresses of both the block of data and itsrespective ECC/metadata and also store the indication that the two arelinked.

CONCLUSION

The ability to store ECC/metadata at different bit levels per celldepending on the actual error rate of cells can be provided. Acalibration procedure can be used to determine the reliability or errorrate of different areas of the memory array in response to different bitlevels. This data can be stored in memory that is accessible by a systemcontroller in order to determine in which areas of the memory array tostore the ECC/metadata such that reliable storage is achieved at aparticular bit level.

Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and describedherein, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the artthat any arrangement that is calculated to achieve the same purpose maybe substituted for the specific embodiments shown. Many adaptations ofthe disclosure will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art.Accordingly, this application is intended to cover any adaptations orvariations of the disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: determining a level ofreliability of an area of a memory array in which a block of data isstored; and storing metadata associated with the block of data in one ofthe area of the memory array in which the block of data is stored or anarea of the memory array near the area of memory array in which theblock of data is stored in response to the level of reliability of thearea of the memory array in which the block of data is stored being atleast substantially equal to a desired level of reliability for themetadata.
 2. A device, comprising: an array of memory cells; and controlcircuitry coupled to the array of memory cells wherein the controlcircuitry is configured to program metadata for a block of data bydetermining a desired level of reliability for the metadata, determininga memory area level of reliability, at a bit level, for a memory area ofthe array of memory cells in which the block of data is stored, storingthe metadata with the block of data and at the bit level if the memoryarea level of reliability is at least substantially equal to the desiredlevel of reliability, and storing the metadata to another area of thearray of memory cells if the memory area level of reliability is lessthan the desired level of reliability.
 3. A method comprising:calibrating a controller to a reliability of an area of a memory array;and changing a bit level of ECC data and/or metadata programmed into thearea of the memory array based on the calibration and a desired level ofreliability.
 4. The method of claim 3 wherein calibrating the controllerto a reliability of an area of the memory array comprises: writing afirst voltage to a center memory cell; writing a second voltage tomemory cells surrounding the center memory cell; reading the centermemory cell at a first time; varying threshold voltages of thesurrounding memory cells; reading the center memory cell at a secondtime; and generating a table comprising an indication of an ability ofthe center memory cell to retain the first voltage responsive to thevarying of the threshold voltages of the surrounding memory cells. 5.The method of claim 3, wherein calibrating the controller comprisesstoring calibration data in memory that is accessible by the controller.6. The method of claim 5, wherein the memory that is accessible by thecontroller is the memory array.
 7. The method of claim 3, whereincalibrating the controller comprises performing a calibration method onrepresentative memory cells of different areas of the memory array. 8.The method of claim 3, wherein calibrating the controller comprisescalibrating the controller at power-up of a memory device including thememory array.
 9. The method of claim 3, wherein changing the bit levelcomprises programming ECC data into the area of the memory array at abit level per memory cell determined by an actual error rate of thearea.
 10. The method of claim 3, wherein changing the bit levelcomprises programming metadata into the area of the memory array at abit level per memory cell determined by an actual error rate of thearea.
 11. A method comprising: determining a respective error rate foreach of a plurality of areas of a memory array; and determining in whichof the plurality of areas to store ECC data and/or metadata based on thedetermined respective error rates.
 12. The method of claim 11, whereindetermining the respective error rate comprises accessing calibrationdata from a table in memory.
 13. The method of claim 11, whereindetermining the respective error rate comprises performing a calibrationmethod on representative memory cells of the plurality of areas of thememory array.
 14. A method comprising: determining an actual error rateof a memory cell in an area of a memory array; and storing ECC dataand/or metadata in the area of the memory array at a bit level permemory cell determined by the actual error rate of the memory cell. 15.A device comprising: an array of memory cells; and control circuitrycoupled to the array of memory cells wherein the control circuitry isconfigured to calibrate a controller to a reliability of an area of thearray of memory cells and change a bit level of ECC data and/or metadataprogrammed into the area of the array of memory cells based on thecalibration and a desired level of reliability.
 16. The device of claim15, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to controlcalibration of the controller by controlling writing a first voltage toa center memory cell of the array of memory cells, writing a secondvoltage to memory cells surrounding the center memory cell, reading thecenter memory cell at a first time, varying threshold voltages of thesurrounding memory cells, reading the center memory cell at a secondtime, and generating a table comprising an indication of an ability ofthe center memory cell to retain the first voltage responsive to thevarying of the threshold voltages of the surrounding memory cells. 17.The device of claim 16, wherein the control circuitry is furtherconfigured to calibrate the controller by storing calibration data inmemory that is accessible by the controller.
 18. The device of claim 17,wherein the memory that is accessible by the controller is the memoryarray.
 19. A device comprising: an array of memory cells; and controlcircuitry coupled to the array of memory cells wherein the controlcircuitry is configured to determine a respective error rate for each ofa plurality of areas of the array of memory cells and determine in whichof the plurality of areas to store ECC data and/or metadata based on thedetermined respective error rates.
 20. A device comprising: an array ofmemory cells; and control circuitry coupled to the array of memory cellswherein the control circuitry is configured to determine an actual errorrate of a memory cell in an area of the array of memory cells and storeECC data and/or metadata in the area of the array of memory cells at abit level per memory cell determined by the actual error rate of thememory cell.